


Exactly What I Need

by Aurlana



Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age - All Media Types
Genre: Beautiful boys supporting each other, Loss of a dear friend, M/M, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Photo prompt, bittersweet fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-19
Updated: 2019-05-19
Packaged: 2020-03-07 18:25:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 613
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18878743
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aurlana/pseuds/Aurlana
Summary: Alistair's not feeling like being jovial with the family. He needs a few minutes alone to reflect.Cullen finds him and won't let him mourn alone.





	Exactly What I Need

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Earlgreyer](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Earlgreyer/gifts).



> I received a photo prompt this morning. I've written one before with Alistair hanging from a tree kissing Cullen. I figured it was time for Cullen to return the favor. ;)
> 
>  
> 
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> 
> I honestly didn't intend on this taking the sad turn it did, but once I got to thinking about why Alistair might be sad and in need comforting, this just... happened.

* * *

**Exactly What I Need**

 

* * *

Alistair slipped away quietly, hoping no one would notice. Most of the time he loved it when the family gathered at Mia’s; they laughed, played games, ate, and his nieces and nephews were always trying to stump him to see if he could guess what the cheese of the day was by scent and taste alone. They never succeeded, if there was one thing that Alistair knew… it was his cheese.

Today, though, he wasn’t feeling it, he was just going through the motions. The message he received this morning took all the real joy out of his day.

Wynne passed away in her sleep last night.

He knew she’d been ill. They’d visited her in the hospital the night before. The doctor said it wouldn’t be long now; they needed to say their goodbyes. Even people as strong and amazing as Wynne, couldn’t live forever. She said she was tired, she was ready. But he wasn’t, damnit! He wasn’t ready at all.

Walking through the woods behind Mia’s house, he found a quiet spot under a tree and sat down. “I miss you so much, Wynne. I hope… wherever you are now, that you’re free of pain and darning some other poor sap’s socks,” Alistair said with a sniffle, wiping his face on his sleeve.

He thought he heard a rustle in the leaves behind him, but when he whipped around to look, there was no one there. With a shrug, he rested his arms on his bent knees and lay his forehead on them like a pillow. He just needed a few more minutes to himself before he could rejoin the party. He just needed…

“Hey, Sweetheart,” Cullen said, from somewhere above him.

Looking up, Alistair quirked a half-hearted smile at his husband hanging upside-down from the branch overhead. “Isn’t that usually my job; monkeying around to distract the masses?”

Cullen cupped the back of Alistair’s neck and pulled him in for a tender kiss. “You looked like you were the one that could use some distractions today,” he said softly.

As Cullen tried to pull away, Alistair grabbed the grey scarf around his neck and pulled him in for another kiss. This one more intense; more demanding. “How do you always know what I need?”

“I’d be a terrible husband if I couldn’t at least read you a little bit.” Cullen flipped down from the tree, sat on the ground next to Alistair, and pulled him into his chest, wrapping his arms around him. “I know how much she meant to you. I’m here for you, whatever you need.”

Alistair buried his face in the crook of Cullen’s neck and let out a shuddering sob. The harder he cried, the tighter Cullen held onto him.

This is where Alistair felt safest. This is where Alistair was allowed to let his guard down and be at his most vulnerable. He allowed himself to feel, with no walls to hold him back. He allowed himself to mourn the loss of one of his dearest friends. In this moment, in his husband’s arms, Alistair finally allowed himself to let go and truly bid Wynne farewell.

When he finally caught his breath, and the last of the tears finished flowing, Alistair wiped his cheeks and looked up with a watery smile. “I’m sor--”

Cullen captured his lips in a thought-stopping kiss. “Don’t ever apologize for seeking what you need from me. I love you. This is what I’m here for. This is what I will always be here for.”

“Thank you,” Alistair said, cupping Cullen’s cheek and leaning in for another kiss. “Thank you for being exactly what I need.”

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you **EarlGreyer** for supporting my addiction! Whether you meant for this picture to turn into anything, you were thinking of me and my obsession with my boys, and that means the world to me! :) 
> 
> This one is totally gratuitous and unbeta'd. All errors are my own.


End file.
